The purpose of this unit is to show how interactions between organisms and their environment affect ecosystems, and to emphasize the impacts humans can have on these environmental conditions.The major theme in ecology is interconnectedness. Organisms depend on the living and non-living components of the environment for survival.The standards for this grade level highlight this interconnectedness by emphasizing how these interactions create a state of equilibrium in an ecosystem. Many conditions exist which can cause an ecosystem to become unbalanced. In this unit plan, I have created lessons and activities to demonstrate the many ways in which interactions affect the balance of an ecosystem. We will begin with a general introduction to ecology to activate previous knowledge and highlight important terms. Next we will begin our discussion about feeding interactions by conducting an owl pellet dissection and discussing food webs. Then we will do some critical thinking about how energy istransferred between trophic levels. Water and nutrient cycles will also be covered in this unit, followed by natural disasters and the ways that ecosystems recover to a state of equilibrium following a disturbance. Finally, we will spend several lessons exploring activities that model how humans impact ecosystems and the organisms within them.
Each day, students will be assessed by questions asked in class, discussions, and lesson worksheets. There is also an invasive species project that includes a wanted poster for a particular organism. There are two summative assessments in this unit. One is the quiz on lessons 1-4, and the other is the unit exam.
This unit builds off previous knowledge about ecology from students' middle school science classes. My first lesson is geared toward activating this knowledge and refreshing their memories. I also ask several questions in my opening to spark interest, gauge how they are thinking, and evaluate what they might know about a specific topic. Lessons are sequenced so that each lesson builds on the previous day(s) material. Ecology is all about how things are interconnected. Each lesson in the sequence was created to showcase this interconnectedness. I tried to make ecology meaningful to students by linking it to their lives. At the opening of every lesson, I try to link the topic to something that they can relate to. Since this unit includes human impacts on the environment, it was easy to create an activity to show how they personally play a part in the ecosystem and how they can reduce their impacts. This unit includes many activities that model interactions that happen in ecosystems to help students make sense of the content. One activity makes use of inquiry by investigating owl pellets and connecting how the content of these pellets relates to the food web. Students are assessed daily by questions, discussions, and worksheets. I collect the worksheets almost every day and give the students the opportunity to finish them at home if they do not complete them in class. Since my high school does not allow us to grade homework, these worksheets will provide the practice they need to help them master the content. They also help me to get a better understanding of what they are struggling with and what I may need to revisit to ensure they are grasping the content. In addition to these formative assessment, I also have two summative assessments. I have one quiz on lessons 1-4, and a unit exam at the culmination of the ecology unit.
Author: Melissa Farrish
Grade Level: 11Course: Biology
Purpose of Unit
The purpose of this unit is to show how interactions between organisms and their environment affect ecosystems, and to emphasize the impacts humans can have on these environmental conditions. The major theme in ecology is interconnectedness. Organisms depend on the living and non-living components of the environment for survival. The standards for this grade level highlight this interconnectedness by emphasizing how these interactions create a state of equilibrium in an ecosystem. Many conditions exist which can cause an ecosystem to become unbalanced. In this unit plan, I have created lessons and activities to demonstrate the many ways in which interactions affect the balance of an ecosystem. We will begin with a general introduction to ecology to activate previous knowledge and highlight important terms. Next we will begin our discussion about feeding interactions by conducting an owl pellet dissection and discussing food webs. Then we will do some critical thinking about how energy is transferred between trophic levels. Water and nutrient cycles will also be covered in this unit, followed by natural disasters and the ways that ecosystems recover to a state of equilibrium following a disturbance. Finally, we will spend several lessons exploring activities that model how humans impact ecosystems and the organisms within them.Grade Span Expectations and Science Practices
Outline, Concept Map, or other Graphical Representation of the Concepts Addressed in the Unit
Ecology unit outline
Lesson Sequence
Assessment Plan
Each day, students will be assessed by questions asked in class, discussions, and lesson worksheets. There is also an invasive species project that includes a wanted poster for a particular organism. There are two summative assessments in this unit. One is the quiz on lessons 1-4, and the other is the unit exam.Rational
This unit builds off previous knowledge about ecology from students' middle school science classes. My first lesson is geared toward activating this knowledge and refreshing their memories. I also ask several questions in my opening to spark interest, gauge how they are thinking, and evaluate what they might know about a specific topic. Lessons are sequenced so that each lesson builds on the previous day(s) material. Ecology is all about how things are interconnected. Each lesson in the sequence was created to showcase this interconnectedness. I tried to make ecology meaningful to students by linking it to their lives. At the opening of every lesson, I try to link the topic to something that they can relate to. Since this unit includes human impacts on the environment, it was easy to create an activity to show how they personally play a part in the ecosystem and how they can reduce their impacts. This unit includes many activities that model interactions that happen in ecosystems to help students make sense of the content. One activity makes use of inquiry by investigating owl pellets and connecting how the content of these pellets relates to the food web. Students are assessed daily by questions, discussions, and worksheets. I collect the worksheets almost every day and give the students the opportunity to finish them at home if they do not complete them in class. Since my high school does not allow us to grade homework, these worksheets will provide the practice they need to help them master the content. They also help me to get a better understanding of what they are struggling with and what I may need to revisit to ensure they are grasping the content. In addition to these formative assessment, I also have two summative assessments. I have one quiz on lessons 1-4, and a unit exam at the culmination of the ecology unit.